(a) Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a pipe clip for joining two separate pipes having opposing end flanges, and in particular to a pipe clip comprised of a rotating upper and lower clip members that are release-secured together by a spring-biased hook-on member for efficient installation and compensation for fatigue of parts.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
FIG. 1 of the attached drawings shows a conventional way for joining two sections of pipe with bolts. Each pipe section, which is designated with reference numeral 1 in the drawings, is formed with a flange 11 around an end thereof. Aligned holes are defined in the flanges 11 to receive bolts 12 that engage nuts 13 to apply a force that fixes the flanges 11 together. This construction has been widely used to join two pipe sections. However, it is very time consuming if the number of bolt-nut pairs used to joint the pipe section is great.
FIGS. 2-6 of the attached drawings show a conventional pipe clip that is used to join two flanged pipe sections, the pipe clip, which is generally designated with reference numeral 2, comprises upper and lower clipping members 21, 22 that form upper and lower flange receiving grooves 211, 221, respectively, joined at one end by a pivot 23 to allow for opening/closing operation of the clip 2 (see FIGS. 5 and 6, respectively). The upper and lower clipping members 21, 22 form, at an opposite end, aligned slots 212, 222 in which a bolt 25 is received. An end of the bolt 25 rotates while fixed in the lower slot 212 by a pivot pin 24 whereby the bolt 25 rotates while removed out of the upper slot 222 to allow opening of the upper clipping member 22 with respect to the lower clipping member 21. The bolt 25 has a threaded section engaged with a wing nut 26 to apply a force securing the clipping members 21, 22 together so as to securely joint two pipe sections 1 each having an end flange 11 (see FIGS. 3-6) received in the flange receiving grooves 211, 221 of the clipping members 21, 22.
The conventional pipe clip is disadvantageous in that substantial human labor is needed in tightening the wing nuts. This renders mounting/dismounting the pipe clip difficult and is a time-consuming process. In addition, repeated tightening/loosening causes fatigue of the thread of the bolt or nut and once the threaded is broken, the pipe clip is useless and has to be replaced.
Thus, the present invention is aimed to provide a pipe clip that eliminates the drawbacks of the conventional devices.